Haptics is the science of understanding and improving human interaction with the physical world through the sense of touch. Haptic interfaces are computer-controlled electro-mechanical systems that enable a user to feel and manipulate a real, remote, or virtual environment. They often take the form of a lightweight, backdrivable robotic arm, measuring the motion of the human hand and providing appropriate force feedback throughout the interaction; other haptic interfaces focus on tactile interactions directly through the skin.

Haptic interfaces for real interactions can be configured to steady the hand of an eye surgeon during delicate interventions or guide the hand of an individual assembling tiny mechanical components. When applied to teleoperation, haptic interfaces allow the user to dexterously control the motion of a robot manipulator in an unreachable environment, such as the depths of the sea or the operative site in minimally invasive robot-assisted surgery. Lastly, haptic interfaces can be connected to a computational model of a physical environment to facilitate training of manual skills like medical procedures or to augment more general human-computer interactions for education or entertainment. We pursue research in all of these areas, plus related work in robotics.